Conditioning apparatus



Nov. 16, 1943. A. J. WELLS CONDITIONING A-PPARATUS Filed Jan. 25, 1941n, My;

I I\I I I II I I I I I mm w [\1\ \/\.J\/\/\ I\ 2, .R AI IIIm n I I NI 0km I n I W K Q /@A/. r PM I In QP I I I n M R I. I I" II II I1 I n I N\MM M QNQ\ Q R I Patented Nov. 16 1943 2,334,232 CONDITIONING APPARATUSAdoniram J.Wells,.Cambridge,Mass., assignor. t'B4'B. Chemical 00.,Boston, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application January 25,1941, Serial No. 375,951

' Claims.

This invention relates to the treatment ofmaterials with water vapor,and isherein disclosed as embodied in an apparatusdesigned to treatunattached leather soles for shoes.

An object of the invention is to providean apparatus by which the grainsides of unattached soles may be rapidly rendered pliant withwater Ivapor without being stained. Theillustratedapparatusembodyingthein'vention is designed, and

has a capacity, to satisfy the demands of a soleconforming machine,provided the soles are placed in the treatment chamber and removedtherefrom in regular order of succession and in pace with the operationsof the conforming machine. Under these conditions it is sufiicient toallot about one-half minute oftreatment foreach sole.

The conditioning apparatus provides a treatment chamber in the upperpart of which the articles of work are supportedfor treatment; A'

body of water in the lower part of this chamber and a short distancebelow the work isheated to accelerate'its vaporization and to heat theatmosphere about'the soles. The temperature of this atmosphere may beabout'l lO F., that being about the highest temperature to whichthegeneral run of sole-leathers may be subjected without harm.

Now, if the water and the'atmosphere surrounding the soles remainedquiescent some cool air could enter the treatment chamber where thesoles are inserted. This would condense the vapor and a much longer timethan one-half minute would be required to supply the soles with enoughvapor to bring them to the desired condition. Therefore, the inventionprovides for forcing so much vapor to flow from the water to the workand thence to the work-receiving opening that no air will enter throughthe latter.

To this end the apparatus is provided with means for blowing many smalljets of air into the water from nozzles immersed therein. This airbecomes heated while bubbling through the water and becomes saturatedwith-vapor which'it carries to the work. The work-receiving opening,located at the top of the, treatment chamber, is

restricted to prevent the influx of cool air so long.

as the normal quantity of heated air and vapor flows past the work. A iv If any small globules of water entrained in the stream of vapor weredeposited on the grain of the leather they would stain it. Tojguardagainst such staining the illustrated apparatus is provided with bafileslocated in the path of the vapor below'the work station. These bailiesareprovid ed with a suficient number of small holes to in sure supplyingthe work. with the full quantity of.

vapor, but at the same time they act as a filter to separate theglobules Ioi water from the vapor and ret n'them to the body of waterfrom which the vapor is supplied.

The method of creating a tempering atmos a Fig. 1 is a vertical sectionof 'aconditioning ap paratus embodying the invention and havingwork-supporting means designed to provide indi-I vidual stalls for solesinserted for treatment;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a portion of the apparatus indicated byline 11-11 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a plan view of piping designed to supply many small jets ofcompressed air in a body of water. v

The illustrated apparatus is designed to stand on the floor adjacent toa sole-conforming ma-' chine. A sheet metal casing Ill supported by legsll forms a closed treatment chamber l2 having a restricted Opening 13 inits top wall to receive a plurality of soles l4. Grooved strips 15 (Fig.2)

are fastened to opposite margins of the top wall" to provide guides forretaining one or more'movableclosures l6, l6 by which the opening l3may.

to admit the soles and adjusted toreduce the gap betweenthem. The lowerpart of thecasing lll'is formed to maintaina body of water I8 to beconverted into vapor for conditioning the articles of work. A

panel I9 of transparent glass in one of the upright walls of the casingenables the user to observe the quantity of water-available foruse. An

electrical heating unit 20 is arranged to be im mersed inthe water" 18to raise its temperature. The butt ofthis unit extends through one ofthe upright walls ofthe casing and is provided with eletric terminals 2|2! for connection with the wires (dotted lines) of an electrical circuit22.. The circuit also includes a regulatable thermostat 23 in serieswith'the heating unit and located in the vapor space ofrthe chamber I2above the water.

The quantity of vapor that would normally rise from the surface ofthewater, I8 in a still atmosphere would be insufficient to accomplishthe desired results in the length of time (about oneh'alf minute)allotted for treatment, with regard to the demands of a sole-conformingmachine. Consequently,- to accelerate the transfer of vapor from'thewater to the work, the apparatus includes means for supplying manysmalljets of air above atmospheric pressure in the water.

For this purpose, a supply pipe 25 (Fig. 3), is arranged toconductcompressed air froma source of supply to a manifold from whicha series.urated with vapor.

of branches 21 extend. The remote ends of these branches are closed butthe jets of air are emitted downwardly through small perforations 28 inthe bottoms of the branches 23. As the air bubbles through the water itbecomes heated-andsatclosures IE will insure a continuous and rapid flowof the vapor to and around the articles of work in the treatment chamberI2.

The indicating portion 30 ofa thermometer is attached to the exterior ofthe casing l and the active element 3| thereof is located in the vapor Aslight gap between the 1 casing being adapted to contain a body of waterin; its lower portion, the surface of the water space of the treatmentchamber adjacent to-the station occupied by the work.

To insure rapid and uniform conditioning of the soles, the treatmentchamber. I2 is provided with means arranged to maintain a series ofsoles .on edge and in face-to-face relation, and spaced one from anotherto permit a. flow of. vaporalong both surfaces of each sole. Accord.-

I ingly, a series. of thin, parallel, supporting strips 32 ,(such aswires), suitably spaced, are secured to opposite upright walls. of thecasing. They are preferably located at a level far enough below the topof. the chamber to enable the soles to stand on end. Moreover, thetreatmentspace is divided into individualupright stalls, one for eachsole, by a plurality of tiers of thin, parallel strips 33 extendingcrosswise with respect. to the strips 32. In addition tothese separatingstrips 33,. the

treatment chamber is provided with thin strips 34 parallel with thesupporting strips 32 and arranged to maintain the soles. approximatelyupright, as represented in Fig. 2. These latter Strips. maintain theupper ends of the soles nearly,

if not exactly, in register with the opening [3. to facilitate removalof the soles. The ends of the strips 33 and 34 are also secured to theupright walls of the casing.

- Two baffle plates, 35 are arranged. between the water 18 and the work.Each is provided with many small perforations 31 through whichthe vapormay flow, theperforations in the lower plate being. out of register with.those in the upper plate, and the space or chamber 36 between theplates being shallow to change abruptly thedirection of travel ofuthevapor. The" perforations 3'! may be about 4 inch in diameter, and

surely not so small as to have a, capillary effect- The baflles 35prevent, theisplash or spray of the.

trained in the, vapor in the chamber 36 willaebeing 'a considerabledistance below the sole-supporting"means,fmeans for heating the water,

means for maintaining the water at a temperature substantially below itsboiling point, means for forcing jets of air through the water to causethe air to'be heated and to absorb water-vapor I as to permit access ofvapor to. substantially all of their surfaces, a body of water in saidcasing at a considerabledistance below the soles, an electric immersionheater to heat the body of water, a thermostat for maintaining the waterat a pr'e determined temperature substantially below the boiling point,nozzles immersed in the body of water for emitting jets of air underpressure at room temperature in .the water to increase the] vapor outputofsaid heated water and to main-" tain "a constant flow of vapor-ladenair through said opening, and baiiles-co-mprising a plurality.

of perforated plates spacedjfrom each other with the perforations in oneplate staggered relatively to those of the other and withan open spacebetween them, said baliles being located between thesuriace of the waterand the soles to remove from the current of heated vapor-laden ai'r'panticles of water as such.

l. A conditioning. apparatus comprising a cas-' ing. forming a closedchamber but having a rewater l8 from rising above the. upper plate,

cumulate. on the. lower surface of the upper plate 7 35 anddrain backthrough one or-more of. the perforations in the. lower plate. V I

Having thus. described my invention, what I claimjas-new and desire to.secure. by, Letters- Patent. of the United States is;

1. A conditioning apparatus v comprising a-ca'sing. closed except for asole-re ceiving opening in its upper portion, sole-sup porting meansarranged to supportthe solesin the upper part of said casing in spacedrelation, the lower portion of said casing being. adapted, tocontain abody of water with its surface. a con.-

' s'ider'abl'e distance below the. soles, means for heating the water,means ior maintaining the water at a predeterminedtemperaturesubstantially below its boiling point, and means for foreingairthrough said water in sufficient quantity: to maintain a constantoutward 'currentof hotvapor-laden air through said sole-receiving openand, to subject the soles. to the action of. said currentofhotvapor-laden air.

for leather soles;

striated opening in its upper portion .to receive soles, an. adjustableclosure for said opening. means in the upper part of said'chamber tosup-' port a series of sales on edge in spaced face-toiace relation, thelower partoi said casing beingv formed to maintain a body of water belowthev soles, heating means arranged to raise the temperature of said bodyof water, and means. a1.-v

. ranged to supply many small jets. of air above atmospheric pressure insaidbodyof water to accelerate the'transfe'r' of vapor from said water,to the work statio-nedjabove. it. 5. A conditioning apparatus comprisinga ca'sing forming a. closed chamberbut havinga re'.-'1 stricted openingin its upperportion to receive. soles, an adjustable closure for saidopening, a plurality of thin strips spaced one from' another andsecured'to said casing to form a series of upright stalls to supportthesoles on edgein face-to-face relation in the upper partof saidchamber, the lower part of said casing being-- formed to maintain a bodyof water under said stalls, heating means arranged to raise thetemperature of body'lof watery-and means arranged to supply many smalljets of air above

